It is relatively commonplace to need to ship an asset from one location to another, that is, to a destination. While such shipment may be relatively straightforward in many instances, such as when ample time exists for the shipment and when the asset is lightweight and/or relatively small or the like. However, in some instances, the shipment of an asset to a destination can be relatively complex, such as in instances in which the asset is quite large and/or extremely heavy, is combustible, explosive or otherwise presents a danger if mishandled and/or must be transported extremely rapidly.
For example, in a military context, certain weapons, such as a rocket booster having an attached warhead, may need to be shipped from a staging or storage area to a destination for launch. In this scenario, the rocket booster and associated warhead is extremely heavy, oftentimes weighing, for example, about 200,000 pounds. As such, the rocket booster with associated an warhead can only be transported via certain modes of transportation, such as via a railcar. Additionally, the speed with which the rocket booster and associated warhead may be transported over the track may also be limited by the size and weight of the rocket booster and associated warhead since care must be taken to ensure that the rocket booster and associated warhead safely travel over the tracks in a controlled fashion without excessive acceleration, deceleration or other forces which could adversely affect the rocket booster and associated warhead.
As a result of the need to transport the rocket booster and associated warhead in a controlled fashion, the transportation of the rocket booster and associated warhead along the tracks has generally been controlled by a person that may walk or ride along the tracks with the rocket booster and associated warhead. While this approach is generally sufficient in terms of moving the rocket booster and associated warhead from the storage or staging area to its intended destination from which it may be launched, the inclusion of a person in the transportation process for controlling the movement of the rocket booster and the associated warhead limits the speed with which the rocket booster and associated warhead may be transported from the storage or staging location to its intended destination.
In some instances, it may be desirable to transport assets that are a challenge to transport, such as due to weight, size, explosiveness, etc., more quickly than is permitted by a transportation process that requires a person to be integrally involved. As such, it would be desirable to provide an improved technique for transporting assets, such as assets that pose particular challenges to their shipment, such as assets that are heavy, large, explosive or the like, that can safely and reliably transport the asset to an intended destination in a relatively quick fashion.